Mae West was a controversial figure in Old Hollywood. An actress, singer and screenwriter, she starred in many films known for their bold approach to sexuality, including “She Done Him Wrong” (1933), “I’m No Angel” (1933) and “My Little Chickadee (1940).” In 1927, West was sentenced to 10 days in prison for obscenity and “corrupting the morals of youth.” She also influenced the fashion designers and artists of the time. In 1937, Elsa Schiaparelli launched a fragrance in a bottle shaped after West’s curvy silhouette. In 1938, Salvador Dalí designed the Mae West Lips Sofa, inspired by the actress.
Mae West died on Nov. 22, 1980, at the age of 88 in Los Angeles. Here, WWD remembers standout moments from her career and life in the public eye.
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Mae West, circa 1920
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1920
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1927
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1933
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1933
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1934
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West in a scene from the movie “Belle of the Nineties.”
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Mae West, 1935
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1935
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1936
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West in a scene from the movie “Go West, Young Man.”
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Mae West, 1937
Image Credit: Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1940
Image Credit: Corbis via Getty Images A portrait of Mae West.
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Mae West, 1940
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West standing on stage wearing a long ruffled and sequined dress and a plumed hat, from director Edward Cline’s film “My Little Chickadee.”
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Mae West, 1943
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive A portrait of Mae West in “The Heat’s On.”
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Mae West, 1953
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West (1893 – 1980) in a revival of her 1928 play “Diamond Lil,” which was filmed in 1933 as “She Done Him Wrong.”
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Mae West, 1954
Image Credit: Bettmann Archive Mae West in “The Strongest Men In The World.”
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Mae West, 1964
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West and Debbie Reynolds at a Thalian ball.
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Mae West, 1970
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West looking in mirror on the set of the 1970 movie “Myra Breckenridge.”
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Mae West, 1970
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West greets the crowd of 10,000 fans who gathered to see her as she attended the premiere showing of the film “Myra Breckinridge’ at the Criterion Theater, New York.
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Mae West, 1970
Image Credit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Mae West attends the press conference for Mae West on June 24, 1970 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
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Mae West, 1975
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West (1893 – 1980) at a party in Hollywood on Nov. 12, 1975.
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Mae West, 1970
Image Credit: Getty Images Mae West in “Myra Breckinridge.”
